What kind of stuff? Is it limited to one room only, or most/all rooms? If it's overwhelming you (and it sounds like it is) the best approach is to tackle one room at a time. Search Houzz Ideabooks using the search term "organize" and you'll get tons and tons of ideas!

Try breaking up into individual rooms so it's more manageable. Also categorize your ideabook so it's easier to find the photos you have saved.

I live in my bedroom, so I will take your great advice and start there. I, UNFORTUNATELY am one of those people that aims for doing everything at once. I am working very hard to break this nasty habit. I will just pretend my bedroom is the house.

You will only frustrate yourself if you try to do too much!

Sometimes we hold on to things because we think we might need them someday. Tell it goodbuy and throw it away, sell it or give it to charity. We had to do that when we moved after 30 years in our starter house. We threw away more than we kept!

An easy way to start is with drawers. Remove one and put it in your lap while you watch your favorite TV show. Have a lined trash can on your right and an empty box on your left. Toss both right and left until the drawer is empty. Take the trash bag to the outside trash bin (no looking or retrieving from it!) Clean the drawer and line it with a pretty fragrant paper. Put another liner in the trash can and the drawer on your left, trash on the right again, box in your lap. Repeat the process, being VERY SELECTIVE, until you've saved the bare minimum of items to cover the bottom of the drawer. In some cases you may want to add divider trays to the drawer to help sort the stuff into a more manageable arrangement. If the drawer fills before the box is empty, dump the box contents into the trash and dispose of it again. This is ruthless but if you can do one of them every day, it won't be as painful as you think. Do this by yourself because a buddy might convince you that this or that item is too valuable to be trashed. If you can't bear to trash the items, put them in a box you can take to Goodwill, Salvation Army or other location where they can find a second life with someone who really needs them! No looking back with regret and please eliminate duplicate items like three slotted spoons, five spools of black thread! One only!

I am getting ready to retire and want to have minimal "things" to care for and eventually leave for others to clean up. I've bought a couple (I know more stuff) of highly recommended books which assert that you have to find out why you collect and the relationship you have with your things before you organize. These authors assert if you organize before this you will spend money and take up space to just store it, and still bring in more. Also, if you were to get rid of everything you would build it back up without understanding why. I just got the books today so I personally cant recommend them yet, but I have high hopes. Good luck.

claudiann, organizing and purging were the first things I did when I retired, it felt SO GOOD!

Get storage cupboards.

Sometimes people hold onto clothes from a colder climate when they move to Florida. If you don't go back to NYC often, you might start with reducing the number of cold weather clothes to (say) 2 weeks' worth of basic clothes, one coat, one warm hat, one pair mittens, one scarf. Not four months' worth of winter wardrobe, five coats and 18 hats.

You have just remodelled. Chances are good not everything is "put back". Give yourself time to experiment.

In the meantime, it's easy to start with a clothes purge or a drawer purge. Deconenthusiaste's method sounds very easy. I like to call for charity pickup first, then dump out one drawer at a time to sort. Dumping the drawer works for me. YMMV.

BTW- If you have photos, you will probably get more comments with a wide range of usefulness to pick and choose from.

I already started in my bedroom and I got quite a bit done. I will never go back to Corporate life, I took all my designer suits, 4 inch heels, NYC jewelry and donated it to my favorite cause, Domestic Abuse has been something I volunteer to do. My girls can look nice if they go to an interview. Apple_pie_order, I was so ashamed of this mess, I never took photos of it. The house has so much potential, I can see it. As you walk in the front there is a small porch, the entryway has 2 sets of windows. The rectangular entryway comes into the open concept L/R, D/R.. There is a much larger rectangular entry to the kitchen which just goes to the back door to the Lanai. There is a huge cement patio with stairs to another patio, a pool, my tropical garden. When we bought this house I bought all the land behind the house, 4 lots. The backyard is huge, I would like to put pavers and a seating area out there. We eat outside a lot, so it makes sense. The master has French Doors out to the lanai. the second bedroom is being used as an office by my husband. The bathroom is fabulous !!
I was on my hands and knees pulling disgusting linoleum dating back to 1920, dead cockroaches, spiders. Really a disgusting job, however the bathroom now has a period 1920's sink and faucets. The shower is all cobalt and lighter blue glass tile as is one wall of the bathroom. It has all the sprayers, tropical shower head, hand held shower, I love it. All I thought about when I was sick, was this house. I have to get over a problem with myself having anyone see this. I was not brought up living like this and it has caused me great stress.

Allison, unfortunately it takes as much time as money. I keep reminding myself that Rome wasn't built in a day but it doesn't help. You'll get there, and you'll know it when you do, and who knows maybe you'll have enjoyed it so much you'll want to buy another house and do it all again!

I know, I am trying so hard to change my mindset that I throw myself into doing it all. I so want to love doing this. I want people to feel comfortable in my home. I have great ideas, but not for 1,200 sq ft. I love Spanish Colonial so much, I actually thought of turning the rectangle entry's into archways. It's funny you should say I might want to do it again. I've been looking into taking an Interior Design course.

Hi Allison,

I just saw your other post in "before and after". Easing back into activity can take a while. Good for you for getting started clearing out your bedroom and donating the clothes to charity. The interview suits for job-seekers are much appreciated, I'm sure.

If I understand the house correctly, you have a three-bedroom house for you and your husband with one child at home. There is one bathroom, a lanai/family room and a living room. You have a huge lot and spend a lot of time outside. You have lots of new furniture that you would like to use as soon as it gets arranged and decluttered. Your main goal is to get things decluttered and back to normal after a long illness. There's a lot you no longer need from your former 6500 square foot house. Is this correct?

Do you have a charity that will come and pick up donations from your home? In my area, the Disabled American Veterans are happy to come pick up household goods and clothing.

This website has some good tips on cleaning out closet clutter: http://www.missussmartypants.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=8

I don't have the words to express my sorrow for what you have experienced. I can understand the frustration of not knowing where to start. Have you made friends in your new area? Confide in a good friend or two and ask for help. The time and the work will go much faster with someone helping and encouraging you along.

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone here, I was housebound for 2 years with no one to talk to except my friends in NYC. I'm trying to find a Professional Organizer, however, this is a teeny tiny town and there is very little here.

just saw your other post in "before and after". Easing back into activity can take a while. Good for you for getting started clearing out your bedroom and donating the clothes to charity. The interview suits for job-seekers are much appreciated, I'm sure.

If I understand the house correctly, you have a three-bedroom house for you and your husband with one child at home. There is one bathroom, a lanai/family room and a living room. You have a huge lot and spend a lot of time outside. You have lots of new furniture that you would like to use as soon as it gets arranged and decluttered. Your main goal is to get things decluttered and back to normal after a long illness. There's a lot you no longer need from your former 6500 square foot house. Is this correct?

Do you have a charity that will come and pick up donations from your home? In my area, the Disabled American Veterans are happy to come pick up household goods

apple_pie_order
I am young, I showed horses for 30 years, I have every license you can have in swimming, including rescue at sea. I was extremely strong and in shape. Now I am wobbly and shocked to my core at feeling weak. I guess you don't think that you died and came back, and will immediately be who you were before. I am very active with my girls who have been horrifically abused, I do everything I can do to help them get a good life. Clothes, make-up, shoes, handbags, perfume, things they have never had and I had an abundance.

The house is 2 bedrooms, 1 bath for myself and my Husband and our Mini Dachshunds. As you walk in the front door there is a large room, L/R, D/R, keep walking straight into the kitchen, down a wide hall, bathroom on left, bedrooms on right, back door to lanai, lanai out to patios and pool. We most definitely have much stuff, mostly my Husband's who is the world's WORST PROCRASTINATOR. I actually threatened to divorce him when I was sick in this mess. I decided to just do it myself. I called today to work with a trainer at the gym because I am so weak. However, yesterday I filled two of the heavy duty trash bags with stuff. The room already looks different LOL.

Good for you! Working out will be wonderful. I hope you begin to regain your strength and well being very soon :))

apple_pie_order, I don't know how to reply directly to you, however scroll down where I copied and pasted your comment and then I could reply to you directly.

Hi Allison, I did the de-clutter thing recently and found some things that worked brilliantly.
1. Buy vacuum bags and store what you won't need in the next year. This includes bed linen, clothes, soft toys, handbags, books and towels.
2. Buy a moveable and lockable outside storage box and put the vacuum bags in old suitcases and put the suitcases in the storage box. (I actually bought a shed!)

I did look at renting storage space but I don't have a tow hitch or trailer so decided this was the best for me. Also I'm not very strong so I needed to keep things in smaller quantities for me to move.

Where do you organize make-up, hair stuff, lotion etc.

Hire a professional organizer, it will be worth every penny.

I was just looking through the Houzz architecture. Exactly is there a difference between a Cottage and a Bungalow.

Bungalow can be a bit more arts and crafts in detail than cottage . . . but they also can be used interchangeably. Bungalow might be more late 40's 50's where cottage can be anything but originates in the English cotswalds . . . cottage style these days means any number of charming details that are borrowed from more historic architecture / shabby chic / antiques / painted furniture / slipcovered upholstery . . .

For lotions and cosmetics: http://unclutterer.com/2010/09/03/ask-unclutterer-overflowing-lotion-bottles/

Can someone please tell me how to reply to someone who has suggested something ? Or do I just assume if I write back 8 comments later, the person will see it ?

Thank you,
Allison

I am asking because my house is from 1920's, yet some of the photos I saw on Houzz relating to Bungalows, look like my house.

There is no way to communicate outside of a Dilemma unless you have the person's e-mal addy, so don't worry about where your answer falls in the order of replies when you answer. I always read the notifications Houzz e-mails me when another post has been made to a Dilemma I have posted on. Most people will read through all the posts that have been made since the last time they made a post. :)) Does that make sense or did I talk on circles? LOL! :D

:)))

I sense, to put in my 2cents, that you sense that that did make little sense of the jist of the sense of the sensible advice you sensed that Allison with her good sense and the sense of the others, in the true sense of the word you sense I sense is just plain good sense.

chook, you ain't got no sense :D

I have this Antique 1920's Spanish Revival Writing Desk
ATTRIBUTED TO:
Angelus Furniture Company . It's in CA, $2200, come get it!